1 week Ago By Dominic Brock
OK onto the first of tonight’s games, with Shane Flanagan’s gritty Dragons outfit taking on a talented Titans side. Dragons fullback Clint Gutherson. Credit: Getty Images St George Illawarra may be 1-3 after four matches and a bye, but they’ve been competitive in every contest.
They’ve lost to the unbeaten Bulldogs and gone down in a couple of one-point thrillers against South Sydney and Parramatta. The one side they’ve beaten is arguably the best team in the league – the Melbourne Storm – in a 14-8 grind at Jubilee Stadium. The Dragons’ average losing margin is just 3.
3 points, the lowest of any team in the league bar the unbeaten Bulldogs. Veteran recruits Clint Gutherson, Val Holmes and Damien Cook have been excellent for the Red V, while young gun forwards Toby Couchman and new face Dylan Egan are leading the way for the pack. They’re the favourites tonight against a Gold Coast outfit that already has two big wins this season – a 26-6 walloping of Newcastle followed by a 30-12 romp over the Roosters.
But those victories were sandwiched between a couple of heavy losses – 40-24 to the Bulldogs and 36-10 last week to the Dolphins. The Titans may be low on grit but they can run up a score against most sides on their day, led by livewire halves Jayden Campbell and AJ Brimson and back-rower David Fifita. So far this season the Titans’ average losing margin is 21 and their average winning margin is 19 – only the Manly Sea Eagles have a bigger difference between their good days and their bad days.
It’s really anyone’s game, this one. We’re into the sixth week of the NRL competition and Penrith still hasn’t won a match in Australia. Their fifth consecutive defeat has left them languishing near the bottom of the ladder, leaving their title defence in tatters.
How did it get to this? From the effect of a salary cap squeeze to injuries, suspensions and the fatigue factor after four straight grand final-winning seasons, there are plenty of reasons why Penrith’s reign could be coming to an end. Read Adrian Proszenko’s analysis Hello and welcome to tonight’s coverage of a NSW vs Queensland Friday night double-header. First up St George Illawarra look to bounce back from last week’s one-point loss to Parramatta when they take on a dangerous Gold Coast side.
Then the Roosters have one of the toughest trips in the league when they face the Broncos in Brisbane. It’s Dom Brock on blog duties tonight, with Dan Walsh reporting on game one from WIN Stadium and Nick Wright at Suncorp Stadium for game two. Will we see another upset or two after Penrith were shocked by the Dolphins last night? Stay tuned.
.
